The Lucky One

Seven of Nicholas Sparks's romantic bestsellers have been adapted for the screen, including The Notebook and Message in a Bottle—all involving lovers whose paths are marked by grief, loss, and redemption, as the fickle finger of fate determines their destiny. Here, U.S. Marine Sergeant Logan Thibault (Zac Efron) has served three tours in Iraq, crediting his survival to a “lucky” photograph he picked up from the sand after a skirmish with insurgents. The photo of a beautiful blonde in front of a lighthouse has the words “Keep safe” written on the back. Back in America, Logan finds the lighthouse on the Internet and walks cross-country to a Louisiana bayou, arriving with his faithful German Shepherd, Zeus. Once there, he tracks down Beth (Taylor Schilling), a skeptical divorcee who lives with her adorable young son (Riley Thomas Stewart) and saucily observant grandmother (Blythe Danner). Strong and silent, Logan is unable to tell Beth about the photograph that once belonged to her deceased Marine brother, so he takes a job in the dog kennel she runs, arousing the ire of her jealous ex (Jay R. Ferguson), a deputy sheriff whose politically ambitious father is a judge. Director Scott Hicks sets a leisurely pace for the pair's courtship (along with its inevitable tensions and complications), but The Lucky One is ultimately no more than gooey marshmallow melodrama. Not a necessary purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include “Zac and Taylor's Amazing Chemistry” on costars Zac Efron and Taylor Schilling (5 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a “Watch the Sparks Fly: The Romantic World of The Lucky One” featurette with writer Nicholas Sparks, director Scott Hicks, Efron, and Schilling (7 min.), “Zac Efron Becomes a Marine” with the actor meeting real Marines (5 min.), and bonus DVD and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a disappointing film.] (S. Granger)